Research for Drug Interdiction

In December 1991, an international conference was convened at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, England, to explore the roles of maritime forces and multinational naval cooperation in our rapidly changing world. This report synthesizes the discussions at the conference and the papers that were presented to stimulate discussion. Its organization is based on four themes: (1) Multinational naval cooperation may be more a necessity than a luxury in an era of shrinking force structures and a declining and differentiated threat environment; (2) Although traditional areas will not be neglected, cooperation in the emerging international environment will include more 'maritime' missions than in the previous heavily military naval orientations. The result should be a greater balance among these mission areas; (3) The patterns of multinational naval cooperation will vary across regions, depending on the purpose, experience, and capabilities of participants and, more broadly, on the pattern of regional political-military relationships; and (4) The role of the United Nations in multinational naval cooperation is growing, but will remain largely limited to endorsement over the near term. UN conduct of operations will develop later, if at all, on a case-by-case basis.